


Beautiful

by EternalElegy



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, NagiIba Day 07/18/2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:16:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25359073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalElegy/pseuds/EternalElegy
Summary: 1. When they first met, Ibara had every intention of keeping Nagisa at arms length, as business partners. Over time, he came to appreciate Nagisa's beauty... on a personal level.2. There were many undeniable, hard facts of the world, Nagisa learned. Ibara being beautiful was one of them.
Relationships: Ran Nagisa/Saegusa Ibara
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46





	1. Nagisa Ran

Nagisa’s voice was… Ibara couldn’t even begin to put it into words.

Of course he knew what he was in for when he began to roll the video tape to one of ex-fine’s performances. He knew that Nagisa was one of the more talented idols in ex-fine, and he knew that being able to get his hands on him would be absolutely perfect for his plans, but he wanted to hear it, just in case. He wanted to know why the audience was so blown away at his voice and how that all came together to everyone else’s voices to create those destructive harmonies that crushed the Five Oddballs. He wanted to know everything he could about that voice; its power, its bloodlust, its ability to establish a presence so powerful that no one would dare to oppose it.

Ibara was in for quite the surprise. 

It wasn’t a voice that ran him over in one swift movement. It was a calm, soft voice that captivated its audience, as if it was the voice of an angel that had descended down onto the Earth and that voice alone was enough to make all of its listeners follow the will of God. There was none of that overwhelming power that threatened to kill and destroy everything in its path, it was as if its gentleness was enough to create and nurture life all on its own. Ibara didn’t realise that there was a void within him until it was filled when he listened to that voice, like something had clicked inside him and he had found the answer to a question that he didn’t even know he had been asking for all of his life. For those moments, as he sat in his office with his earphones in listening to ex-fine’s performance, he had been brought to paradise- no,  _ Nagisa’s _ paradise. Ibara completely forgot about his businesses, his classes, and his plans as his mind was filled with Nagisa’s voice, and suddenly he felt as if he had been cleansed just by listening to it; everything earthly within him had ceased to exist and he had ascended to a higher state of being after discovering the ultimate truth.

It was over too soon. Ibara sat there in stunned silence, wondering what the hell had come over him and why his mental state had changed so much. He hated this, he hated not being in control, and he hated it when he couldn’t control himself, but all of those feelings washed away and suddenly he was laughing uncontrollably. If he could make that voice his and make it do his bidding, surely he could become the most powerful person in the idol industry by possessing the most powerful weapon there was. Hiyori was good too, he figured, but Nagisa… Nagisa was a different beast altogether. Right now, it was a voice that could take its audience up into the shining white heavens, but with just the right treatment, it could be used to drag its enemies down into the fiery depths of hell. Or better yet, a dark, lawless paradise where its only rulers were chaos, depravity and pleasure. A paradise so tainted that those enslaved by it would denounce light altogether and see the shadows as their only answer.

That was quite a while ago, but as Ibara got ahold of his most desired weapon and examined it properly, he had unintentionally begun to see it differently.

Ibara always had to walk past the practice rooms on his way to the CosPro offices. There was almost never anything of interest considering the practice rooms could not be seen from the outside and they were soundproofed, but today was a different day. He heard a very familiar voice practicing from within through a gap in the door, and as much as he was never one to stand around and waste time, the voice drew him in and he couldn’t muster the willpower to resist.

Nagisa was practicing, apparently completely unaware that he had not closed the door properly, and Ibara wondered whether this was the day when he would feel thankful for Nagisa's airheadedness. He didn’t want to enter the room and risk being discovered, but he wasn’t able to properly listen in without actually being there in front of Nagisa, so he decided that he’d just have to compromise for today and stand outside the door. He would be able to hear him sing properly anyway during their next practice.

Ibara recognised the song immediately. It was the song that they were going to sing in an upcoming live show, but apparently knowing it didn’t make him any less immune to Nagisa’s voice. Even now, he could feel it; he could feel the power, as if he was right in front of him and the voice was surrounding him, threatening to swallow him whole from where he stood in the corridor. Ibara couldn’t even remember what the song was about anymore and he was temporarily paralysed, as if he was in the presence of an absolute ruler and he’d be turned to dust from where he stood if he dared to do anything without being ordered to.

Ibara hated that he couldn’t explain why his emotions heightened so much whenever he heard that voice, but he quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he remembered his schedule and an upcoming appointment that he was about to run late to. Before he rushed off, he closed the door to the practice room. It wouldn’t do to have someone else listen to that voice. After all, he had already claimed ownership over it as Nagisa’s producer and partner.

* * *

Nagisa’s hair was long, silvery, very wavy and perfect for braiding.

The amount of times Ibara had wanted to scream and break something during this particular day had grown to such an excessive amount that he called Nagisa to walk with him to his office after Eden’s group practice. It was getting late and he knew that it was time to go down and make dinner for himself and Nagisa, but this was it. His willpower had crumbled, he had (most likely) gone insane, and there was nothing,  _ absolutely nothing _ , that was going to get in between him and his stress braiding session.

Nagisa was willing, shooting him a concerned glance before agreeing, and off they went. Nagisa was almost never one to disobey anyway, like he was a good little kid that followed their parents’ every word, and Ibara was thankful that he was like this given the amount of talent that he possessed. A perfect idol wouldn’t mean much to him if he couldn’t tame them anyway. He didn’t care that he had to take care of so much of Nagisa’s needs; in fact, he found a strange enjoyment to organising his schedule, cooking for him, managing his finances, and the list went on. He really was a parent as much as he was a producer at this point, but it was all worth the effort.

Ibara never wanted time to speed up this much in his life. He had been able to stress braid almost to his heart’s content when Nagisa was still in high school, but now that ES had been established, his workload had increased tenfold and he couldn’t see Nagisa as often anymore (to the despair of both of them). 

They reached his office, and Ibara closed the door with a lot less grace than he would have liked.   
“... Ibara. Is everything okay?”    
“Yes, Your Excellency! Please take a seat.” His words came out hastily, but he was too tired to pay any mind. Nagisa did as he was told, making himself comfortable on the couch.   
“... Why did you call me here?”   
“I’m going to braid your hair, so it would be appreciated if you remained still.”

Even though Ibara was behind Nagisa and therefore couldn’t see his face, he could feel the happiness radiate off him as he shuffled, leaned back and opened the book that he brought with him. Ibara remembered the previous times when he had called Nagisa to the Adam office just to braid his hair, and he’d always come like a puppy about to be served a treat. For some strange reason, that soft smile and the slight spring in his step made Ibara feel a little warm in ways that he couldn’t understand.

He began braiding. Ibara’s hands knew exactly what to do; he had been doing this for quite some time, after all, and he focussed hard on the task at hand in order to take his mind off business. All of the frustration and the stress and the headache washed away as he took out Nagisa’s hair tie and ran his hands through the hair to brush it with his fingers. He was soon overcome with the softness of it all. A faint fresh scent became apparent as he continued to stroke, before he began to plan out the size of the braids.   
“... I washed my hair today.” Nagisa’s voice cut straight through Ibara’s thoughts. It perfectly explained why Nagisa’s hair was so  _ nice _ today, why it moved so easily to Ibara’s will as Ibara proudly remembered the shampoo recommendation he gave. Playing with Nagisa’s hair like this after it had been washed was always the best. He was never going to admit it though, especially not in front of Nagisa. 

The only noises present in the office was the occasional turning of a page. A while later (Ibara didn’t bother to check how long he had been doing this for), Ibara stepped back to admire his handiwork. Only Nagisa’s bangs were spared; every single other strand of hair had been braided, with the braids fanning out across the back of the couch, with every single one exactly the same size. The perfection gave Ibara more satisfaction than the average person probably would get out of doing something like this. Ibara didn’t plan on stopping here, so he gently undid the braids before starting again, being careful not to tug too hard on the hair. This time, he settled on making a larger amount of smaller braids.

Ibara wished that he could go for as long as he wanted to, but eventually his stomach grumbled and he had to give in to his hunger. He was so caught up in braiding Nagisa’s hair that he didn’t notice that Nagisa had closed the book to focus on Ibara’s treatment.

* * *

Nagisa’s eyes were an intense, blood orange, capable of piercing everything.

Of course Ibara made that observation when he saw that picture of Nagisa as a part of ex-fine, but the poster couldn’t come close to what those eyes looked like in real life, when it wasn’t obscured by those light filters. He remembered their first meeting as if it happened yesterday; he was seated in his car, giving Hiyori his business card while he used his signature smile and salute. At that time, Nagisa was standing behind Hiyori, gazing at him with something that looked like confusion, curiosity and… nostalgia? Did he remind Nagisa of someone or something? The answer became apparent as he disclosed the circumstances of his lineage. 

In the past, those eyes may have looked at Ibara with some kind of softness, perhaps because he was a reminder of someone that Nagisa held dear, but towards the fans, it was completely different.

Even though Nagisa was no longer under any obligation to act like the dictator persona he used before, those eyes were on fire, blazing and shining and dazzling, as Eden performed on stage. Everything about Nagisa was powerful, from his presence to his voice to his gaze, and he swept away the crowd with ease like he was some god and the screaming humans waving penlights were all tiny little ants worshipping him with all of their hearts and souls. Nagisa was so good at being an idol that it was almost inhuman. Ibara didn’t need to perform, practice and produce for Nagisa to know that, but when the purple lights fell upon Eden, Ibara finally  _ knew _ . 

Nagisa’s smile off stage was always accompanied by that soft, gentle voice that caressed every part of Ibara’s being, but that smile on stage was broad, sharp, confident. He threw his arms out as part of the routine, pelting out a high note in the song that they were singing, his hair fanning out from his movements, and suddenly everything changed. Ibara wasn’t performing next to a human anymore. 

Nagisa’s eyes glittered a brilliant, bright red. It was almost as if he had just revealed to the world that he had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his idol abilities. 

The rest of that live show was a blur because Ibara was so affected by that moment, like Nagisa had released some kind of magic that broke his usually unbreakable composure. He was singing and dancing just like he did during practice even as his mental state was compromised, and there was something about that moment that was so powerful that it stayed in Ibara’s mind for the weeks to come. Even as Ibara learned new songs and dance routines and that old song was left to collect dust, the memory never failed to be vivid. Too vivid. It was never just a simple recalling; Ibara always relived that moment again, alongside all of the emotions with it, and he was either relieved that he was in the privacy of his office, or frustrated that he let his concentration waver during practice.

Sometimes, he couldn’t help but think back to it whenever he looked at Nagisa as he examined freshly excavated rocks and fossils, or as he read a book that he found deeply interesting. These eyes showcased a completely different kind of intensity, so different that it almost never failed to throw Ibara off guard. Because of this, Ibara could easily tell whenever Nagisa was intrigued by something, and fortunately, Nagisa’s attention was always so focussed onto his task that he never noticed Ibara practically staring at him. 

Those intense eyes were always soft whenever they were on Hiyori or Jun. Ibara almost always turned up late to Eden’s scheduled lunches due to work, and he never failed to catch the way that he looked at Eve. Again, it was different kind of intense; he was emotionally invested in the other people he was interacting with, and as Hiyori practically glowed like the sun, Nagisa always reciprocated at least some of that positive energy. Jun was a little less bright, but Nagisa didn’t seem to mind at all. If anything, he was more than happy to display the same kind of warmth to Jun, and Ibara wondered whether this was supposed to be what family was like. Not that he could tell for sure, as he had never had one.

Nagisa always turned to Ibara to greet him as he approached the table, saluted, and apologised for being late (as usual). It took some time, but Ibara began to realise that Nagisa was looking at him with something that was more than just simple fondness.

* * *

Nagisa's hands were big and strong, reaching out towards an absolute truth.

Ibara could never forget the moment when Nagisa picked him up and dangled him over the edge of the roof, threatening to drop him if he didn’t listen. He knew Nagisa was quite physically strong, even if that wasn’t so obvious initially, but that was one of the things that he had severely underestimated, as Nagisa lifted him with so much ease that Ibara fear spiked hard. It was that hand that grabbed him by the collar and held him above certain death. Ibara was truly scared that Nagisa’s hand would just slip and he’d meet his demise, but fortunately he was very much alive. Despite that, if he was put in the same situation again, he still wouldn’t fully trust Nagisa’s strength.

Ibara also remembered working with Nagisa when he had a script to follow in order to perfect his acting, because his body language was just as important as his words and tone of voice. Of course, Nagisa had that god-like voice and god-like acting ability, but as Ibara made sure that every single pose was perfect, he couldn’t help but notice the way Nagisa’s hands were positioned. 

On stage, with all of the glaring lights and gold confetti and a crowd lit up with the colour of Eden, Nagisa’s presence shone more than ever. His hands reached out like claws, threatening to tear down anyone who dared to stand up to him. They also reached out to grasp the one and only truth, that he was the one and only ruler of the idol world, and he would pave the path for everyone else to follow. Those hands… those hands held nothing but  _ power _ , and even as Ibara stood beside Nagisa as his right hand man, his position and actual relationship with Nagisa suddenly meant nothing, like he had been reduced to a puny minion who only existed to serve this almighty power and he would be vaporized if he even lifted a finger against Nagisa. 

Ibara never got the proper opportunity to inspect those hands until a certain day after work.

There Nagisa was in the dorm kitchen, innocently trying to prepare dinner on his own. By the time Ibara spotted Nagisa’s dangerously incorrect cutting technique, it was too late.

“Your Excellency!” Ibara dashed straight for the first aid kit in one of the cupboards as Nagisa winced, red rapidly spreading across his hand from a cut in his finger. Before Nagisa could even move, Ibara was already by his side, pressing a bunched up tissue into the wound.   
“Hold it there, keep on applying pressure.” Ibara instructed, searching for a band aid. “What were you doing?”   
“... I was preparing dinner.”   
“There’s no need to do so! Next time, if you’re hungry, please let me know!”   
“... I wanted to surprise you.” 

Ibara was definitely surprised, though for all the wrong reasons.

  
“There is no need for you to worry about these sorts of things, I can take care of it!”   
“... You’ve done so much for me. I wanted to pay you back.”    
“Ahaha~ I’m so moved by Your Excellency’s goodwill!”   
“... Don’t you already have a lot of work too? It would be best if I could at least do some things by myself.”    
“Rest assured that I am very happy to be taking care of your needs!”    
“... Then I won’t bother you further. I will ask… I forgot his name… the one who is always hungry.”    
“If Your Excellency would like to take up cooking as a hobby, it’s not in my position to stop you, but please consider the reason why I take up many of your daily necessities. It is all to ensure that you can perform to your fullest as an idol!”   
“... But you’re also an idol, Ibara.”

Ibara was awfully conscious of the skin to skin contact when he gently lifted the tissue to check whether the bleeding had stopped.   
“Please be more careful next time, Your Excellency!” The producer applied the band aid.   
“... Okay. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Ibara knew very well what Nagisa’s skin care routine was, mostly because he was the one who planned it in the first place, but the texture of those hands felt out of place for someone who handled rocks and fossils on a regular basis. Those hands were big (of course they were big), strong (of course they were strong), with slender fingers (of course those fingers were slender) and… surprisingly soft skin. Just a bit of contact, and Ibara felt a strange urge to caress those hands and explore every single crease and mark on them. He hesitated ever so slightly as he released Nagisa’s hand, adjusting his glasses in an attempt to hide his embarrassment at the situation. Having those kinds of thoughts felt strange. Even just feeling felt strange.

Nagisa tilted his head and his brows furrowed ever so slightly. Ibara pretended not to notice.

* * *

Nagisa’s shoulders were slim, yet muscular, leading one of the most powerful units of ES.

Of course, it was all intentional, and Ibara always kept a close look out on Nagisa’s physique to make sure that the perfect ratio was maintained at all times. Despite being responsible for it, Ibara was unable to tear his eyes away from Nagisa’s bare shoulders as the two of them changed for a particular live show, as if he was looking at a piece of art rather than his fellow unit member. Or maybe Nagisa really was a piece of art, sculpted so perfectly that Ibara truly believed for a second that there was a higher power creating all the life in the world and it decided that Nagisa was going to receive a few more blessings than the average person. 

The way that those muscles shifted as Nagisa lifted his arms to take off his summer casual shirt… Ibara was so mesmerised that he forgot all about the upcoming performance, his work, the roar of the not-so-distant crowd. He also forgot to breathe until his body was almost depleted of oxygen.

“... Ibara. Are you okay?”    
“Yes, Your Excellency!” 

Silence, or at least the closest there was to silence as Ibara caught his breath. He snapped out of his thoughts and slipped into the grey dress shirt that was part of the Eden outfit. 

“Let me give you a massage.” Ibara blurted out, wanting to punch himself in the face for talking without thinking.    
“... Hmm? I’m fine. Do we have time? The performance is soon.”

Never in his life had his head been this muddled and it was absolutely infuriating, but it was too late to take back his words. He made his way over to Nagisa, settling his hands on those shoulders before pressing his thumbs into the muscle.    
“Please relax.”    
“... Okay. I’ll try.”    
“Thank you.”

Braiding hair was one thing, but kneading into Nagisa’s back like this was a completely different story, because being able to touch Nagisa’s skin and press into it and massage it and- Nagisa smelt fresh and his hair smelt fresh and the way those shoulders moved every so slightly up and down as Nagisa took each breath-   
“... Are you sure you’re okay, Ibara? You seem to be losing concentration.”   
“Everything is fine, Your Excellency!” Everything was, indeed, not fine.   
“... Okay. If there is something wrong, please tell me.”

Everything about this situation was wrong. Never had Ibara been so captivated by anything that wasn’t power or money or the prospect of being able to grind his heel into those higher ups who looked down on him. Just knowing that he was feeling this way towards Nagisa of all people didn’t settle well with him, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t push it down and it made him feel uncomfortable, at the very least. 

However, that didn’t change the fact that something strangely warm was surfacing from within as he continued to undo the knots in Nagisa’s shoulders. 

“... Ibara, I’m cold.”    
“Oh! I’m terribly sorry! I lost track of time!” Ibara glanced at his wrist out of habit, only to realise that he had taken off his watch while getting changed. Creating distance between him and Nagisa was a far more difficult task than he had initially anticipated.   
“... Thank you for the massage. We should hurry up and get going.”   
“Yes, Your Excellency!”

Ibara’s cheeks burned and he desperately hoped that Nagisa wouldn’t notice. Unfortunately, his hopes were short-lived.

  
  


* * *

Nagisa’s lips were impossibly soft.

One moment, Nagisa called Ibara beautiful, and the next thing Ibara knew, Nagisa was kissing him. As much as he would have loved to struggle, Nagisa had already pinned him to the wall, with both of his hands on Ibara’s wrists, and Ibara couldn’t think of an immediate way to get out of this situation without the risk of hurting Nagisa unintentionally. 

“Y-your Excellen- mmph!”

Nagisa wasn’t giving him a chance to talk. The way he gently moved his lips, making the occasional muffled groan at the back of his throat… then he moved one of his hands up to entwine their fingers together, and then his other hand was grasping Ibara’s hair, and then he opened his mouth to try and use his tongue, and then Ibara’s brain was slowly turning into mush. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had been hugged, so there was no way he was going to be able to handle this overload of intimacy, and if he had any thoughts about pushing Nagisa away before, they were certainly gone now as he was swept up in the whole experience. All the physical strength from hours in the gym had been sapped, all of that mental fortitude from his time at the military facility had been completely broken down.

Ibara made the horrifying realisation that  _ he didn’t mind this at all _ .

Of course Nagisa’s lips were soft. He remembered buying lip balm for Nagisa the other day and he was sure that Nagisa had used it, but even though Ibara had been the one who made sure that those lips were soft, it was still Nagisa’s and that was a big contributor to Ibara’s current mental state. It was blank, everything was blank, and just with a simple action like that, Nagisa had wiped Ibara’s mind completely.

When they parted for air again, Ibara suddenly realised that there wasn’t much that he couldn’t describe as soft when it came to Nagisa.    
“... Ibara.” That soft voice echoed within Ibara’s skull as those blood orange eyes looked at him with nothing but tenderness and affection, and when they kissed again, Ibara had to confirm everything with his own hands. Nagisa’s other hand softly grasped his as Ibara reached up to stroke Nagisa’s hair (it was soft), caress his cheek (it was soft), and finally, Ibara was kissing back because it felt like the right thing to do. Something warm had awakened within him, pushing him to reciprocate Nagisa’s actions, and Ibara was not only unable to resist, but he was willing to go along with it. He adjusted and moved with Nagisa’s rhythm, and soon, it was a dance of overflowing feelings that had been suppressed for too long.

All of that talk about being business partners be damned. 

Nagisa Ran was beautiful.


	2. Ibara Saegusa

Ibara’s voice was interesting, for someone who lacked passion for being an idol.

Nagisa had already been performing with Ibara for a fair amount as part of Adam before Ibara broke the news that he had become an idol purely out of convenience, and it was something Nagisa was completely unable to understand considering his upbringing. That moment made him think about what Ibara’s sound was, and to his surprise… it wasn’t void of life or emotion. Whether Ibara was just that good at faking it, he didn’t know, but it dawned on Nagisa that day that it was possible to be a proficient idol without truly caring about what he was doing. All of the power that an idol had on its audience, and here Ibara was, with no other intention outside of making as much money as possible.

For some strange reason, that didn’t stop Nagisa from being drawn to that voice.

Nagisa entered the practice room at his appointed time, and Ibara’s voice came to a jarring stop as soon as the door opened.   
“... Ibara?”    
“Your Excellency!” The song came to a jarring stop as Ibara whipped around and saluted. “My apologies, I must be going overtime!”    
“... No, I came early. I didn’t expect you to be here.”   
“Considering the live is approaching soon, I have given myself some extra practice time. Don’t mind me, I’ll be packing up-”   
“... Please keep singing.”    
“Huh?”   
“... I want to hear your voice.”

Ibara raised an eyebrow before beaming. “Ah, were you concerned about my part? Don’t worry, I already have perfected it! You can hear it at our next group practice!”    
“... Let me sing that part with you right now.”   
“Where did you want to pick up from?” Ibara responded after a tense silence. Nagisa couldn’t figure out why his producer was so nervous about it all.   
“... From the beginning of the chorus.” 

They sang together. Nagisa wasn’t focussed on his part for a single moment; all of his attention was on Ibara’s sound, and he found that it was a shame that Ibara was not willing to sing for him alone. 

He felt it. 

He felt the intensity of Ibara’s voice, the power, but most importantly, how well it fit together with Nagisa’s like two pieces of a puzzle coming together. Nagisa changed his voice as the chorus finished and they entered into the second verse, reducing the power, the intensity, changing it into something closer to a gentle caress, and Ibara instantly followed like they were something more than just two idols singing together.

It was as if they shared a soul and it was impossible for their sound not to be flawlessly harmonious.

“... Thank you, Ibara. You matched me perfectly.”   
“Of course I matched you perfectly, Your Excellency! It is imperative that we are in sync for the sake of our performances!”   
“... Mm.” Nagisa couldn’t stop the smile from forming. “We were connected. That made me feel happy.”   
“It’s good to hear that my hard work is paying off! Was there anything you had in mind? Something for me to improve on?”   
“... No. Thank you again for today.”   
“Any time! I will be taking my leave now. Good luck with your practice!”

Ibara left the room, and when Nagisa thought about his words, he could only feel confused. If Ibara didn’t care about being an idol, why did their voices come together so nicely? Nagisa  _ felt _ that connection. It wasn’t something that could happen just through practice. Maybe Ibara lied earlier and he actually did feel something about being an idol? No, that couldn’t have been the case. Something in his gut told him that Ibara’s words were true. If Ibara didn’t care about being an idol, why was he working hard as an idol? Was it just for the profit?

Nagisa concluded that it was about the money, but he still didn’t understand and it was frustrating.

* * *

Ibara’s hair was light and the perfect length for tying.

Ibara announced that only Adam would be practicing in this particular session, as Eve was busy at work. Nagisa was indifferent to dance practice usually (he much preferred to be singing) but lately, he had been motivated by something else entirely.

The instructions were all laid out in the practice folder and Ibara always gave Nagisa a refresher before practice commenced. Even as Ibara stressed over and over again that focus during practice was important, Nagisa was immensely distracted by none other than Ibara’s cute little ponytail that bounced around as they danced.

“Your Excellency! I ask that you do not let your mind wander!” Ibara turned from the mirror, his hands on his hips.   
“... Oh, sorry.”   
“If you require a break, please let me know! Unproductive time is never good.”   
“... Okay.”

Ibara turned around again to face the mirror and that ponytail moved back around, and Nagisa forgot for a split second that he was in practice until the music started up again and he almost missed the opening. Ibara followed the choreography with inhumane precision, which was fortunate for Nagisa because that meant that the ponytail moved in a particular way every time and for some reason it helped his body to settle into the rhythm. As Ibara spun rapidly, so did the ponytail, whipping the side of his head. As Ibara jumped and landed, the ponytail bounced, refusing to stay still even when Ibara did. The ponytail never followed Ibara’s head movements completely, as if Ibara was supposed to be the leader and the ponytail was just some naughty, disobedient child that mocked the instructions of the leader by obeying and disobeying them at the same time.

Practice was over in the blink of an eye. Nagisa wanted a drink of water, but there was something else that he wanted to do more than anything.   
“Your Excellency? Can I ask why you’re petting my head?”    
“... Oh. Hmm…” One moment, Nagisa had just finished the routine, and the next thing he knew, he was standing right in front of Ibara, with one hand on top of Ibara’s head and the other undoing the ponytail.    
“Um… can you answer my question?” The texture of Ibara’s hair was so luxurious that Nagisa had completely forgotten about his surroundings, but right when he opened his mouth to respond, he closed it again, his mind shooting straight back to the strands. He wanted to feel it more, feel the hair around his hands more, and he wanted to braid it to try and impose the same amount of satisfaction that Nagisa felt whenever his hair was braided. 

Time flew by incredibly quickly, or incredibly slowly, not that Nagisa cared. He had wanted to do this for so long, and finally, his urges were being satisfied and-

“Your Excellency! I’m sorry, I must go back to work!” Ibara slipped from Nagisa’s grasp, backing away so quickly that Nagisa jolted out of his thoughts. He couldn’t feel Ibara’s hair in his hands anymore and he was sad, but Ibara had bolted out of the door, tablet and drink bottle in hand. 

Nagisa realised that he had been unconsciously closing the distance between him and Ibara before Ibara ran away. He wondered what hugging Ibara would feel like.

* * *

Ibara’s eyes were a steel blue, with an unwavering powerful gaze that could see everything.

Well… not in the literal sense. Ibara’s eyesight without his glasses was absolutely horrendous and Nagisa discovered this (to his great amusement) when he stole Ibara’s glasses and watched as the producer made futile attempts to retrieve them as Nagisa ran away. Hiyori was laughing so hard at the scene that he was crying, and Jun couldn’t contain it either as Ibara elected to stay put to avoid embarrassing himself, but the bullying came to an end when Nagisa remembered that Ibara had a schedule and he could get in trouble for turning up late to something. It was definitely all worth the trouble. Nagisa struggled to keep a straight face as Ibara scolded him.

Up until that moment, he had never seen Ibara look so lost, in the most literal sense. 

On the rare occasions when Nagisa saw Ibara talking to other executives or staff about business, he could see it. Those narrow, scheming eyes looked warely at others, the determination and steel hiding all of the calculations of his mind, revealing a false gentleness that coaxed his opponents to lower their guards. The others couldn’t see it, but Nagisa could see the danger, as if those poor victims were eye to eye with a predator without realising. A viper poised to strike at any given moment. 

During a live show however, it was all different. Nagisa looked over at his fellow unit member as the lights glared down at them and tens of thousands of eyes were in their direction, cheering as they sung and danced. They cleared a difficult part of their song with a flourish, as if it was the easiest thing in the world and there was nothing that Eden couldn’t do, and Ibara's eyes glittered so brightly. He smiled so triumphantly that Nagisa couldn’t help but do the same when the crowd increased in volume. Even in the midst of all of this, Nagisa became lost in Ibara’s eyes and suddenly the stage around them, the paradise that they were making disappeared, only to be replaced with a gentle sea breeze, soft sand and the vast view of the ocean before them.

That outing at the beach only happened a few days ago, and it was everything that Nagisa had read about in the books, and more. Ibara had brought him there as a change of scenery, away from the city and ES, and Nagisa couldn’t be happier as he slipped off his shoes and ran into the sand, ignoring the protests of his producer. The sand was warm in between his toes, the wind played with his curly long hair, the sun overhead caressed his skin, and the dark blue of the ocean stared back at him, with all of its mystery and secrets of what lay underneath the surface. The water was cold. Of course it was cold as it ran over his feet. The way the sand moved in accordance to the waves was so deeply interesting that Nagisa could spend the whole day just staring at it. He saw a conch shell, and immediately bent down to pick it up, and it was just like what the pictures had shown. This shell was once called home by a sea creature out there, and the entire light spectrum reflected off parts of its exposed interior, and Nagisa wanted nothing more than to take it back to his dorm and display it on his bookshelf. 

It was so much fun, the beach was so much fun, and he wanted Ibara to join him.

Nagisa turned around. Ibara was still standing on the pathway in his casual outfit, looking at Nagisa with an uncharacteristically soft expression, but then Nagisa saw it. Ibara’s eyes. It was as if those eyes had captured the grandeur of the blue heavens that stretched above them. It was as if Ibara was a messenger sent from the gods, blessed with those unwavering, steel blue eyes that contained the might and endlessness and flawlessness of the sky, and yet it never crushed whatever it gazed at, just like how the sky didn’t crush the world. Even with all of that, those eyes were calming, gently inviting Nagisa to come into Ibara’s world of pure blue, and Nagisa gladly took that invitation.

Nagisa could stare at those eyes forever, and he almost did, until Ibara, dressed in his Eden outfit and not his casual outfit, turned away.

It took him a moment to realise that it was all part of the choreography, not because Ibara was rejecting Nagisa’s gaze. With the rest of the song to go, Nagisa could proceed with all of the composure of the world. Nagisa had practiced hard for this, Ibara had practiced hard for this, and Ibara was supporting him- no, the entirety of the sky was behind him, lending him its power. He was flying, Ibara was flying, Eden was soaring throughout their performance, backed by their producer and creator, with all of his poison strategies and talent and those unwavering, steel blue eyes that never stopped at any obstacle. If Nagisa was nervous at the beginning of this live show, he definitely wasn’t now.

All Nagisa needed to do was look into Ibara’s eyes and the sky within it.

* * *

Ibara’s hands were smooth, impossibly smooth for someone who did so much with their hands every day.

Today was a rare moment when Nagisa had a free day, which didn’t come often considering how in-demand Eden was, but he greatly appreciated being able to take a break. Not only that, but he also had the freedom of deciding what he wanted to do with the break. Nagisa was faced with so many choices, there were so many things that he wanted to do as well, but one thing came back to his mind again and again.

“Hmm? You want to spend the day with me?” Ibara raised an eyebrow at Nagisa’s suggestion.   
“... Yes.”   
“Are you sure? I will be doing nothing but sitting in my office!”    
“... It’s okay. I was going to read the books you gave me. I wanted to read it with you.”    
“I apologise, but I can’t skip a day of work!”   
“... I’m sorry. I meant that I’d like to read while in the same room as you.”   
“Hmm… what an interesting request from Your Excellency. Alright, as long as you don’t disturb me, then you are free to sit in my office! I have no appointments with anyone, so you won’t have to worry about being disturbed!”

The books were just an excuse.

One of the guest sofas was positioned in a way that allowed Nagisa to get the perfect view of Ibara, and all he needed to do was look up from the pages. The books were interesting, of course, but Ibara was far more interesting, almost to the point that he was distracting Nagisa by simply existing. 

Ibara made sure that Nagisa was comfortable before he commenced work, and Nagisa channeled all of his acting power, all of the advice he received from Wataru as he prepared for plays as part of Dramatica, to pretend that he was reading and he wasn’t watching Ibara like a hawk. Nagisa had already forgotten what the book was about (something about fossils?). His entire focus was on the papers Ibara was holding, as well as the pen that he used as he wrote on them. The stack of documents at the corner of the table slowly diminished, but that wasn’t the thing that brought Nagisa satisfaction.

It was the movement of those hands. Four fingers on the top of the document, thumb underneath the corner, and the paper glided elegantly from the top of the stack to the centre right in front of Ibara. Left hand always on top of a sleek black pen as his eyes scanned the words on the page. Left hand moved at supersonic speeds to get the pen to the page whenever it was needed (so quickly that Nagisa would miss it if he blinked). Right hand rested on the other side of the document, mostly inactive, but occasionally it tapped some unknown rhythm that Nagisa became quickly fascinated with. The soft, muted contact of skin on wood was calming, until Nagisa recognised it, and he was so close to humming the tune before he realised that he was supposed to be reading.

The stack of papers was cut in half and Nagisa was so focussed on Ibara that he physically jolted when Ibara rose from his desk. If Ibara noticed, he paid no mind as he entwined his fingers together, pushing his palms outwards towards the ceiling.    
“Ah, Your Excellency! I recommend standing up and stretching every now and then. It’s not good to be sitting down for too long at a time!”  
“... Okay.” 

They were seated again after a few minutes. Sometimes, that right hand went through hair, the motion accompanied by a deep sigh, presumably a reaction to whatever was on the paper. At some point, there was nothing new to observe, so Nagisa went back to the book, attempting to keep his eyes on the words on the page.

He was never that absorbed in it. He wanted to see what else Ibara’s hands could do.

Nagisa realised at some point that the room was filled with the faint whirring of a fan and clicking, and he sneaked a glance. Ibara was now facing the corner of his desk where his computer was. His posture in the chair was straight and somewhat relaxed, but his fingers were all but relaxed as they furiously typed away, moving with such speed and accuracy that Nagisa couldn’t really comprehend what was happening. The right hand was also rapidly moving in between the mouse and the keyboard. A few mouse clicks here and there, and then a lot of keyboard clicks, silence, more keyboard clicks. It was a strangely addictive rhythm and as much as Nagisa wanted to know what exactly was happening on the screen, he didn’t want to disturb Ibara, or else those hands would stop moving and the keyboard and mouse clicking would also cease.

When Ibara announced some amount of hours later that he wanted to stress-braid, that was it. Nagisa got the biggest serotonin release of the week right at that moment. The feeling of Ibara’s fingers running through his hair brought him almost unnatural amounts of joy, and no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t understand why this made him so happy. Ibara was always so careful with Nagisa’s hair and that in itself was cute, just like everything else Ibara did to make sure that Nagisa could focus on his idol activities, because it seemed to show deep down that he really did care about him on an emotional level. That seemed like the only feasible explanation; Nagisa didn’t understand how being business partners justified Ibara micromanaging his life, even as Ibara told him time and time again that it was all for the sake of Nagisa’s idol work.

This was probably the most intimate Ibara would ever willingly get and Nagisa savoured every moment of it.

Dinner time approached rapidly and down they went to the dorm kitchens. For some reason, Ibara always made some effort to hide his food preparation methods, but this time, he had been left with no choice but to display it all to him. Of course Nagisa was excited. He had barely cooked in his life after all and being able to watch Ibara was going to be fun. This could even turn into a new hobby.

Nagisa watched closely. At first, he took mental notes on the ingredients Ibara used and the way those ingredients were being prepared, about how those flavours would come together to create the taste of the final dish, but as time went on, Nagisa grew increasingly irritated that he could think of nothing but the hands doing all of the work. Ibara handled the knife, the frying pan, and pretty much everything he held with such dexterity that it left Nagisa in shock and awe. 

It was all over too quickly and Ibara beamed at Nagisa, taking the plates into his hands to bring them over to the dining area. That smile was so radiant, as if it represented all of the pride in the world, and it was so incredibly, irresistibly cute.

Cleanup was quickly handled.  
“Thank you very much for assisting me with the dishes, Your Excellency! I’ll be on my way-”

Nagisa wasn’t letting Ibara escape after displaying all of that adorableness, so he grabbed his wrists to feel his hands. It was those hands that tapped away at a computer and tablet and braided Nagisa’s hair and cooked for him and handled a billion papers a day and finally, he had found an opportunity to indulge in them. Those hands worked hard for him, worked hard for Eden, worked hard for CosPro and Nagisa wanted to offer some form of appreciation, gently rubbing a palm with a thumb while threading his fingers through Ibara’s.

It was truly a wonderful experience. Nagisa expected some kind of protest from his producer, but for some reason, it never came.

* * *

Ibara’s shoulders were strong, holding up CosPro, Eden, and whatever other companies that he owned.

“... Ibara. You have a lot of muscle.” Nagisa realised that he had never properly looked at Ibara’s figure, even though they had changed together in the same room so many times before their live shows. Despite having a ridiculous amount of responsibilities for his age, Ibara was still the shortest and youngest member of Eden, and it was almost amusing to see that he sported a lot more physical strength than he appeared on the outside.   
“Yes!”    
“... Are you strong enough to carry me?”    
“Of course! I must be able to carry Your Excellency if the situation calls for it!”    
“... Can you carry me right now?”

This was one of the rare occasions when Ibara’s emotions (surprise, specifically) was plastered all over his face. Combined with the fact that he was shirtless, Nagisa almost laughed at the sight.    
“Do you not have confidence in my strength?” Ibara soon reverted back to his usual upbeat self, putting his hands on his hips. Nagisa couldn’t help but notice the way those muscles shifted with every movement of Ibara’s upper body.   
“... I do, but I want to see what it feels like to be carried.”    
“Why is that so?”   
“... It sounds fun.”

Ibara put down the grey Eden dress shirt he was holding and approached a still-unchanged Nagisa, scooping him up with so much ease that it really felt like he was in one of those romantic novels Hiyori recommended him. There were still a couple of differences; Nagisa was not female, he was not a blushing maiden who was overwhelmed with emotion as their crush, their prince charming carried them across a grassy field into the sunset with his hair flowing gently in the wind (though the long hair part was accurate). He wasn’t wearing a dress, Ibara wasn’t wearing some kind of suit that brought out all of his handsomeness and- 

Actually, Ibara was  _ really pretty _ . 

From below, Nagisa could see the strain of Ibara’s muscles as they worked hard to keep his weight off the ground, the slight bulging of those arms and shoulders, and he couldn’t believe that this was the body of someone that had a face that he was so fond of. 

“Your Excellency, I will be letting you down now.” Ibara announced, helping Nagisa to his feet like Nagisa was really a princess and Ibara was really a prince. His prince. “Considering we have a performance soon, it’s not good to waste time!”   
“... Can we do this again? I can carry you in return.” Ibara cleared his throat, turning away while adjusting his glasses.   
“Let’s think about that later. It would be preferable if we concentrated on the upcoming live show!”

There was no way Nagisa was going to forget to ask about it afterwards. (He forgot anyway.)

  
  


* * *

  
  


Ibara’s lips still had the lingering taste of the lunch they had recently, but it also had qualities Nagisa couldn’t describe because he was also thinking about every other aspect of Ibara’s being and his mind could only process so much at a time.

Ibara called Nagisa to his office to talk about work opportunities, and to be honest, Nagisa was in no mood to do anything other than to think about how captivating Ibara was. His producer talked on and on about variety shows, radio channels… some kind of pyjama advertisement? He couldn’t care less about idol work right now, and he felt extremely blessed that he was currently able to look at Ibara and admire how  _ nice _ his hair looked, and those eyes, and the way his expression was so bright and upbeat with that smile of his. It was a business smile, but still a smile nonetheless. Ibara’s smile. It was plenty of food for his sudden Ibara craving, but Nagisa wanted more. 

Ibara’s mouth stopped moving. Nagisa only cared because it meant that he couldn’t hear the voice that was penetrating so deep into his mind that he forgot that he was standing in an office. He forgot that he was standing at all,  _ he forgot that he was existing _ , as if he was some spirit floating around, observing the marvelous human being before him. That human’s existence was so strong, so distant from him, that for a moment, it felt like there was no way he could really connect with Ibara because he was on a completely different level of existence. However, without that voice, Nagisa felt lost, like everything had fallen into complete darkness and that voice was the light that would guide him away from deprivation, insanity and whatever unimaginable hell lay in a timeline where Ibara Saegusa didn’t exist. 

Except they were on the same plane of existence. If anything, Nagisa was looking down on Ibara. Ibara was shorter than him, after all.

Did Ibara just ask for his attention? Of course he was paying attention. It was impossible not to pay attention to Ibara. The midday sunlight illuminated his hair and face and eyes and lips and hands and the entirety of his perfect figure, and it didn’t matter that he wore that summer attire so often because Ibara’s perfect  _ everything _ was more than enough that the repetition of the same clothing choice didn’t matter. 

“... Ibara. You’re beautiful.”

All of those emotions, all of those thoughts, channelled into a very simple compliment that meant the entire universe. 

He recalled all of those romance novels that he had indulged in for scientific purposes, thinking about what the characters did when they were in love. Nagisa wasn’t particularly sure if what he was going through right now was called love, but he could already draw plenty of similarities, and he definitely wanted to explore it, confirm his thoughts, or disprove them. There was nothing that could stop his curiosity, mixed in with all of those other emotions, and he let them take over him.

Nagisa grabbed Ibara’s wrists, pinning to the wall, before diving in to connect their lips. The leader of Eden faintly remembered one of the novels, suddenly thankful that it graphically described what exactly happened in a kiss, otherwise he would have had no clue what to do in this situation and the last thing he wanted was for his emotions to be misinterpreted. It was just like acting; there were directions to follow, lines to say, actions to perform, except it wasn’t really acting because every single feeling was extremely real, so real that he was almost overwhelmed by it all. He was doing everything exactly like that novel had depicted, but at the same time, he poured all of his heart into it, so much so that it was no longer just the mere obeying of instructions.

It was just like the book said. It all felt good not because of the physical sensation, but because of the emotions.

Everything else that happened felt so incredibly natural that none of it registered in Nagisa’s mind. At some point, he had touched Ibara’s hair, entwined their fingers, attempted to use his tongue to deepen the kiss, and uttered Ibara’s name. 

Thorn. That was what the name meant, and Ibara was definitely a thorn to all those who opposed him. It also represented all of his experiences, personality, voice, hair, eyes, hands, shoulders, lips, heart, soul-

All of it came together to form the being known as Ibara Saegusa.

And Ibara Saegusa was beautiful.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy NagiIba Day!


End file.
